Improvement in planing-machines for cutting slats for blinds



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN FREE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T() ALFRED LOWDERBACK, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PLANING-MACHINES FOR CUTTING SLATS FOR BLINDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,415, dated June 5, 1866.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN FREE, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement iu the Machine for Making Vindow-Shade Slats 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is acentra-l longitudinal section of the said improved machine; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section ot' the same on the dotted line x y of Fig. 1 5 Fig. 3, a plane view of the upperxside of the same, and Fig. 4 a plane view ofthe upper side of the sliding-cutter-carriage detached, like letters and numbers of reference indicating' the same parts when in the different figures.

The object of my improvementis to produce a machine whereby the flexible wooden slats used in the manufacture of the well-known woven wooden shades or blinds for windows `can be produced with greater facility, rapidity,

nd economy.

My invention consists, substantially as hereinafter described, in the combined arrangement ot' an adjustable horizontally cutting or planing carriage provid edwith suitable knives, togetller with a lever, spring, pawl, and studwheel, for operating the screw-feed ofthe block by the returning motion of the said carriage.

In the drawings, ,A B is the frame of the machine 5 C D, the sliding carrier, containing the cutters c cl; E, the block from which the slats e 6^ are cut; F F F, the gear-wheels, and G the lever; H, the pawl, I I, the springs, and J the stud-wheel for feeding the block E to the cutters.

The frame A B has two ed ge-rails, a a', upon which the carriage G D slides when reciprocated forward and backward by means of any suitable motive power applied through the pitman K.

The planing-knife o is adjust-ably secured in a recess in the carrier G D by means ofthe slots and screw-bolts 2 2, there being a throat, 3, beneath its cutting-edge for the slats e c to pass, as a shaving passes through a plane. (See Fig. 4.) Immediately :forward of the throat 3 the series ofthe vertical cutters d are secured together by means of two set-screws,

44, in a slot made in a curved plate, di", which is secured by the screws 5 5 in a recess in the carrier, and is adjusted by means of the setscrews 6 6. rlhe knives d' each extend about an eighth of an inch above the upper surface of the carrier, and are placed about threeeighths of an inch apart from each other. (See Figs. 2 and 4.)

The block of wood E is secured between two clamping-pieces, a2 b2, each provided with two angular ribs, 7 7, and one of the two pieces is adjustable against the block E by means of a set-screw, b3, near each end. (See Fig. 2.)

Two of the gear-wheels fare each traversed by a screw-shaft,j"f3, the wheels being kept in place by an Lipper and a lower piece in the frame, so that the said wheels, on being rotated together, cause the two shafts f'f3 to be moved up or down, as the case may be.

The requisite periodical movement of the gear-wheels is effected by means of the lever Gr, pawl H, springs I I, and stud-wheel J. The lever G is pivoted to a stationary arm, L, and also to the hooked pawl H, and extends down behind the back end ofthe carrier C D, so as to rest against a block, S, on the frame.

The stud-wheel J serves as a rack, and is fastened rigidly to the gear-wheel F beneath it, and the hook of the pawl H catches around the studs of J in succession, and rotates the wheels so as to move the shafts ffs, and thus press down the block E to the knives in the carrier. (See Figs. l and.)

Operation: For the usual-sized blinds or shades each slat e is required to be about three-eighths of an inch wide and about a sixteenth or less of an inch thick; and there being, as in this instance, siX dividing-cutters, d the block should not be thicker than twentyone eighths, or two and ive-eighths inches, w hieh will produce seven slats at each forward motion of the carriage, because as the latter is drawn rapidly forward the series of slitting-cu tters d divide the lower surface ofthe block E into seven equal parts, and immediately afterward the planing-cutter c' separates the whole of them at once from the block, and each in a perfeet-ly smooth condition and of uniform thickness and width throughout, the feeding ofthe block E being regulated accordingly for the purpose, and operated by the back end of the carriers striking and forcing back the lever G,

which, carrying the pawl H with it, the hook of the latter draws around the stud-wheel J, and consequently the gear-wheels, so as to rotate the shattf f3, and thus press the block E downward the required distance for the next forward motion of the cutters.

This is a very ilnportant improvement, in View of the old machine, which latter consists simply of a board-holder and a plane arranged and operated so that only one slat e is cut at each stroke of the plane, while one ot my improved machines will be amply sufcient to keep eight or ten looms constantly supplied and employed in weaving the slats into blinds or shades.

Having thus fully described my improved MARTIN FREE.

Witnesses BENJ. MoRisoN, JAS. HINSMORE, Jr. 

